Water District plan on track but new challenges emerge, says independent comittee

Date: Feb. 13, 2007

SANTA CLARA COUNTY— The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s 15-year plan to provide flood protection and preserve creeks and rivers remains on schedule, although it faces new challenges posed by lackluster state and federal funding and rising construction costs, according to an independent monitoring committee.

Santa Clara County voters passed the Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection Plan (Measure B) in the November 2000 general election to create a countywide special parcel tax for specific flood-safety projects and watershed improvements. The measure also created an independent monitoring committee to evaluate and report on the progress of the water district's work.

“The committee is satisfied with the current progress being made on projects,” David Ginsborg, chairman of the Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection Plan Independent Monitoring Committee, said while presenting the fifth annual oversight report to the district's board of directors on Tuesday.

“The board of directors and (district CEO) Stan Williams and his team are to be commended for their efforts.  They have not only successfully implemented Measure B (the Clean, Safe Creeks Plan), they have done so in the spirit of the initiative which not only demanded flood protection but also requires a natural approach to that protection, as well as promising new trails and a healthier ecosystem.”

The committee, however, expressed concern about the challenges to the plan posed by two converging, though unrelated, issues: shortfalls in federal and state funding, and sharply rising land and construction costs.

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ appropriations in recent years have all been below historic funding levels and funding for the subventions program in recent years has been unreliable due to state budget deficits,” Ginsborg said.

In addition, the water district is also faced with the challenge of an unprecedented escalation in land and capital project construction costs that have ranged between 15 and 25 percent per year over the past two years.

 Ginsborg noted that rising construction costs was a major challenge facing other public agencies, too, but “the water district’s approach has been the right approach in terms of how they are going about managing this.”

“The water district has been proactive in its responses to these strategic challenges with initiatives that include accelerating capital project schedules via alternative project delivery methods such as design/build, performing planning and design work in parallel,” Ginsborg said.

In addition, the water district is evaluating the expediting of consultant contracting; collaborating with local agencies to benchmark industry best practices, and cooperating with other local agencies on the timing of project bidding.

The committee report noted that the water district had exceeded its annual goal of managing vegetation in creek channels. In addition, the district had added 23.30 miles of public access to trails this fiscal year for a cumulative total of 33.27 miles.

Other progress toward meeting Clean, Safe Creeks Plan’s goals, according to the committee, include:

• Meeting its obligation of providing four major cleanup events and meeting its commitment to respond quickly to requests for cleaning up litter and graffiti.

• Fulfilling its promise to reduce pollutants in surface water through continued partnership with Santa Clara County‘s Green Business Program.

• Exceeding its program-to-date target of removing 40,000 cubic yards of sediment from county creek channels to carry runoff from storms away from the valley floor.

The annual report is posted on the water district's website.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District manages the county’s major watersheds, including 10 reservoirs, more than 800 miles of streams and large groundwater basins. The water district also provides flood protection throughout Santa ClaraCounty.